KZN mom accuses school after disabled child returns home with second-degree burns

The school's convenient amnesia is surely an eyebrow raiser.

According to Lulamisa Ncwana, the school in Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN) failed to state why her son returned home with second-degree burns in 3.5% of his body.

As reported by Times Live, the circumstances around the burns have not been explained by the school after the mother, on numerous occasions, tried to establish a cause of the disturbing burns from the school principal and his class teacher.

Disabled child suffers from Hunter’s Syndrome

Lunzulu Ncwana is an 11-year-old boy who has a mental disability known as Hunter’s Syndrome. According to Mayo Clinic, this is an extremely rare condition “that is caused by a missing or malfunctioning enzyme.”

“Hunter syndrome is far more common in boys. The condition is one type of a group of inherited metabolic disorders called mucopolysaccharidoses (MPSs). Hunter syndrome is also known as MPS II. There’s no cure for Hunter syndrome. Treatment involves managing symptoms and complications.”

— Mayo Clinic

Without the ability to talk, Lunzulu was not able to tell his mother how he got the burns.

School denies any knowledge of how Lunzulu got second-degree burns

According to Ncwana, on Thursday 17 January, she was only told by the school that her son was being sent home because he had diarrhoea. Nothing was mentioned of the burns, which made no sense for Ncwana because of how drastic they were.

“I keep imagining how he must have been screaming and crying in pain. I can’t even tell you how I feel. My child must have been in agony,” she told Times Live.

The school principal and class teacher from Daydawn Special School were not very forthcoming when Ncwana probed them about the condition of her child.

KZN mom opens child abuse case against school

According to the mother, who is also a nurse by profession, the school teacher confirmed that they had bathed Lunzulu but were not aware of any burns on his thighs.

“[The school teacher] said that they didn’t burn him. But they did bathe him. So I asked her, if they had noticed burns on his body, why didn’t they say anything? They [usually] send a message for any scratch on his body but now that he has burns they have kept quiet,” she stated.

Ncwana has since opened a child abuse case with the police and demands that the school come forth with information on why and how her son inherited those burns.

The KZN education department has since confirmed that it would handle all matters relating to the case and according to the department’s spokesperson, Kwazi Mthethwa, the matter will be investigated immediately.

“The MEC is shocked over this incident. We are reaching out to the parents to ensure that they are properly briefed as the learner was in the care of educators. We also want the school’s governing body to be involved to ensure transparency,” Mthethwa said.

Images of the burns the boy sustained can be viewed in the Times Live article but be warned that they are of a graphic nature. Viewers’ discretion is strongly advised.